For the last several years, the world of computers, especially personal computers, has increasingly moved toward graphical user interfaces, such as that provided by Microsoft WINDOWS.TM.. Such graphical user interfaces are much easier and more enjoyable to use than non-graphical user interfaces, such as that provided by MS-DOS.TM.. However, such graphical user interfaces require much more memory to store the graphics images used.
Many software designers have taken advantage of the graphical user interfaces by developing application programs that provide new and interesting graphical abilities. Such application programs include drawing or painting programs, like Aldus Freehand.TM., allow users to create complicated and unique graphics images. Such drawing programs typically enable users to create raster graphics images, that is, graphics images formed by patterns of light and dark picture elements (pixels) in a rectangular array. Many drawing programs include utilities for converting the raster graphics image into a vector graphics image, such as a WINDOWS.TM. metafile. Rather than being represented by individual pixel values, a vector graphics image is represented by metafile records that describe lines or objects. Metafiles usually take less memory to store an image than does a bitmap. In addition, a metafile is device independent, that is, can be displayed to file the display screen regardless of the pixel density of the display device displaying the graphics image.
Regardless of whether a bitmap or a metafile is used, the prior art graphical application programs lack some flexibility and require much memory. For example, users currently have no way to incorporate dynamic objects, such as working clock faces, into the graphics images that they create. In addition, in order to display 20 complicated objects, such as automobiles, that differ from each other only in a minor detail, such as the radiator grill, the user has to draw all 20 automobiles. Prior art applications have no ability to simply draw one automobile and 20 radiator grills and incorporate the radiator grills into the single automobile graphic object. In addition, prior art application programs do not enable the user to instruct the computer to perform a non-graphical operation, such as emitting an alarm sound when the user draws an alarm clock.